This type of racist behavior has no place in politics. I call on Dave Bartholomew to resign immediately. I also call on Scott Rigell to join me in condemning this divisive, narrow-minded behavior by demanding Bartholomew's resignation.

I am baffled by Mr. Bartholomew's unabashed propagation of prejudice and hate. I'd like to believe that Scott Rigell doesn't share these sentiments but sadly, we are the company we keep. I hope that Scott denounces this intolerance and embraces the 21st century.

UPDATE #3: DPVA issues a statement.

The Democratic Party of Virginia today reacted to the disgusting and racist remarks made by top Rigell advisor and Virginia Beach Republican Chairman, David Bartholomew. Blue Virginia first reported the racist and inflammatory email circulated by David Bartholomew.

Upon learning of Bartholomew's blatant racism, Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Dick Cranwell said "As a key advisor for the Rigell campaign, Bartholomew's racism is out of touch, insensitive, and has no place in American politics. Scott Rigell needs to demand Bartholomew's resignation immediately. To do any less would mean that Mr. Rigell shares this world view."

Gaylene Kanoyton, First Vice Chair of the Virginia Democratic Committee said, "In 2010, it's abhorrent that Scott Rigell would keep this sort of company. This is the kind of attitude that I, and many in my community, have fought so hard to do away with. I hope that Scott Rigell will do the right thing and call on Mr. Bartholomew to resign, and join the rest of us in reason, tolerance, and mutual respect."

Susan Mariner, Chair of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee said, "I am baffled by Mr. Bartholomew's unabashed propagation of prejudice and hate. I'd like to believe that Scott Rigell doesn't share these sentiments but sadly, we are the company we keep. I hope that Scott denounces this intolerance and embraces the 21st century."

UPDATE #4: Scott Rigell issues a statement.

The email sent by Republican Party of Virginia Beach Chairman David Bartholomew is reprehensible. It stands in stark contrast to the core values of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, and my personal belief in a colorblind society. I call upon Mr. Bartholomew to immediately resign his position as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach.

UPDATE #5: Sen. Donald McEachin issues a statement.

Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) today called on the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General to repudiate the disgusting racism stated by one of their Party leaders. "I will not even demean myself or the honorable citizens of Virginia to repeat the egregious words in the email apparently distributed by the Republican Party chair of Virginia Beach. I would ask the governor, the lieutenant governor and the attorney general, the three statewide leaders of their Party, to not only renounce and reject this vile language but to ask that this individual relinquish his post. For this individual to be a Party leader in an official position of the Republican Party of Virginia says it all. In the absence of strong statements by Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli, it is only fair to assume that these three elected officials condone such despicable and contemptible behavior. Their absence does and will speak volumes.

"These are perilous economic times and many Americans and Virginians, of all colors, ethnicities and backgrounds find themselves without employment. As they desperately search for a new job and a way to take care of their family, some of them have to turn to the safety net that we have in place for that very reason. To compare these hardworking Virginians to an individual's dog is insulting not just to any one race, but to all Virginians. These citizens are deserving of our compassion and assistance. They are asking only for a hand up so that they, too, can find a well-paying job to support themselves and their loved ones. I can only hope that our governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general have compassion for those who find themselves unemployed and going through struggle and that they recognize that to mock and demean these people in such a horrific way is totally unacceptable.

"I await the words and actions of Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling and Attorney General Cuccinelli. Every minute they don't respond and repudiate this contemptible email and every minute they do not ask this individual to resign his position sends Virginians a message about their values and their leadership."

This is obviously disgusting. If Rigell has any decency he'll denounce this and call for Bartholomew to resign. Between his association with this guy and his tenuous (at best) grasp of DADT, Rigell and his party are promoting a bigoted image of Republicans in the 2nd district.

House Minority Leader John Boehner is still soliciting funds for a longshot Ohio House candidate who has dressed up as Nazi officer in historical re-enactment events. And, according to a spokesman, Boehner doesn't fear any backlash.

The website of Boehner's Freedom Project PAC has a page dedicated to introducing potential donors to Rich Iott, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the Toledo-based 9th District. Freedom Project donated $5,000 to Iott's campaign in September, before images of Iott in a Waffen-SS uniform appeared on the Internet.

...I don't like John Boehner any more than you do, but what the is the problem with a guy dressing up for historical reenactments? This isn't any different than a guy who dresses up for a Civil War reenactment...someone has to play the bad guys for the reenactment to work.

There are a lot more substantial reasons not to vote for Republicans, do we really have to pretend to be outraged by a guy dressing up for a historical reenactment to score points?

But I don't see Civil War reenactments as a parallel to WWII re-enactments. For one thing, the Civil War battles were fought right here. For a second thing, the type of battles were very different than battles from the 20th century, so personal experiences could contribute to our understanding of them in a way that we cannot otherwise recapture.

Perhaps we still aren't far enough out form WWII. Like most Americans, the family members I have who fought in WWII can tell you plenty about the battles -- they don't need to have them reenacted.

That said, I'm hardly "outraged" (it really takes a lot to "outrage" me). And I'm not saying that anyone who wishes to do this shouldn't. But I am saying that every candidate makes choices in his/her private life that show the voter, fairly or not, what kind of person they are. This is one of those times. Not only in the reenactments, but in his comments since then. I can't speak for the people of Ohio, but I wouldn't want this person representing me.

People like that use that joke by using any minority as the punch line. However, you could put many whites in there too. As a long time nascar fan we now find that the quality of English has gone up with an influx of foreigners.

...is known to have the same prediliction for sending racist jokes via email. Sensing a pattern here?

If the Repubs had any sense of shame, they'd force this jerk to resign immediately. But do they and will they? Doubt it.

The combination of a black president and a nasty economic downturn fueling insecurity are causing some very ugly demons to come back to the surface after they were surpressed for a long while. Buckle your seat belts -- no telling how ugly things are ultimately going to get.

The real target is Scott Rigell..... this is nothing. When is someone going to write about the boy he brought to America from Nicaragua? He forced him to sign a contract that requires him to work for him for so many years for a poverty level salary for bringing him here and educating him.

Sounds like an indentured servant to me.....isn't that illegal?

This is the stuff the paper won't print and the public never hears.

INDENTURED SERVANT:•An indentured servant was a worker, typically a laborer, under contract to an employer for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities. ...

Rigell was caught with his pants down! This racist slur masquerading as a joke, has been circulating for over 2 weeks thanks to Mr. Batholomew's widespread email list including top Republicans here in Hampton Roads and in Richmond at the state party level (and presumably top GOP politicians). The Rigell campaign and his key operatives were recipients of these emails days ago -- yet, only after the news was published today and Congressman Nye denounce it, did the Rigell campaign come forward with a standardized press release.

Why did Mr. Rigell refuse to go in front of the news cameras and denounce this himself? Most likely, his media advisors told him to issue the short release and stay out of sight in the hope that this would blow over. Is this the kind of candidate that CD2 voters want to see representing us -- all of us -- in Washington? It is easy to spend millions of dollars to promote yourself but why then refuse to spend 10 minutes talking to voters with a sincere call for racial sensitivity?

Not only should Mr. Bartholomew resign, but so should those Rigell campaign manager, top workers and headquarters staff who have been chuckling over this sick joke for days. Why didn't his managers warn him about this well circulated racist slur is puzzling? Did Mr. Bartholomew send one of these jokes to Rigell himself? If yes, when?

Mr. Rigell should insist on their resignations too but he is probably afraid of the backlash in a tight campaign.

Updated: 11:30 p.m. The chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Party, David Bartholomew, has resigned following an incident involving a racist email, according to Gary C. Byler, the 2nd Congressional District GOP chairman. Byler blamed political operatives for using the issue to try to hurt Republican congressional candidate Scott Rigell and the entire GOP ticket.

"Let me make it clear David Bartholomew does not tolerate racism. He never has,'' Byler said. "David would never knowingly forward racist material.''

"I have learned that Virginia Beach Republican Party Chairman, David Bartholomew, has forwarded a highly inappropriate email to people on the Internet. I understand that Mr. Bartholomew has acknowledged his mistake and will be resigning from his position, which is the right thing for him to do. The email in no way reflects the view of the Republican Party and is directly at odds with my core values and beliefs." - Senator Jeff McWaters, 8th District

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